


Wolf Lake, 15 Below

by mavy1



Series: Zukka Week 2019 [1]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Fluff, M/M, Zukka Week 2019, the ice fishing au no one asked for
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-21
Updated: 2019-01-21
Packaged: 2019-10-13 20:05:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,104
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17494445
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mavy1/pseuds/mavy1
Summary: Zukka week day one - modernZuko never imagined he would be spending any of his precious free time ice fishing. But Sokka's puppy-dog eyes sure can be persuasive.aka the ice fishing au no one asked for, but I wrote anyways





	Wolf Lake, 15 Below

“Come on, _please?”_

 

“For the last time Sokka, no!”

 

“ _Come on_ Zuko, _everyone_ is going, you can’t be the only one who stays home!”

 

“I told you, spending my weekend in the middle of a frozen lake in the blistering cold, staring into a hole isn’t exactly my idea of fun.”

 

“ _Please,_ Zuko? For me?”

 

“Uuuuugh…   _Fine!”_

* * *

 

 

Saturday morning rolled around, and Zuko too early found himself hustled into a van full to the brim with noisy kids he can’t at that moment remember why he calls friends. Between the cramped quarters and what felt like 7000 verses of Down by the Bay (Zuko by the way has not, in fact, ever seen a whale with a polka dot tail. No one has. That’s stupid), the ride out to the lake felt like it took about a hundred years. It didn’t, of course. It took 3 hours, 26 minutes, and 43 seconds. He timed it.

 

Things didn’t exactly improve once they reached their destination either. Toph toed the line of having a full blown melt down when she realized that ice fishing involved leaving the safe, hard earth they all called home behind in favor of placing your trust in a sheet of ice, and to be perfectly honest, Zuko didn’t much care for being told to take off his seat-belt _just in case_ said ice sheet failed, and a quick getaway was required. But, apparently, one could never be too careful. And It was far too late to turn back anyhow.

 

After several minutes of slow and considerate crawling across the ice, Hakoda seemed to finally come to an acceptable spot (though how such a decision was reached, given that every spot looked the same, was unclear), stopping with the associated loud crunching of snow. Everyone spills out onto the drifts, complaining loudly of cramped muscles and sore necks, and the unloading begins. Zuko stops for a moment to take in his surroundings, nothing but the blank whiteness of snow and ice and the distant green line of the far-off shore, capped by grey skies. It’s peaceful, and almost beautiful in kind of an eerie way.

 

Enthralled with the landscape as he is, he doesn’t notice Sokka come up behind him until the boy has already flung his arms over his shoulders and wrapped him in a tight hug.

 

“What are you wearing?” Sokka, snuggled tightly in his parka, with associated hat, scarf, mittens, and boots that make his feet look about twice as large as the really are, surveys Zuko’s comparatively meager coat and gloves with distaste.

 

“Hey, this is already my warmest jacket! It’s not like I venture into the wilderness everyday!” Sokka giggles at that.

 

“This is hardly the wilderness Zuko. Still, you should bundle up.” He takes off his own hat and scrunches it onto Zuko’s head, putting up his hood before removing his scarf and winding it around Zuko’s neck and face with an affectionate hand. “It’s freezing out here, and it’s not like you can breathe fire or something to keep yourself warm.”

 

Zuko feels his cheeks heat as Sokka places a kiss on his nose, the only part of him now left exposed to the harsh elements, before running off to help his dad. He’s actually somewhat grateful for the cover Sokka’s scarf offers to hide his blush. Even though they had been together for months now, Sokka still had that affect on him, and while it was alright with just Sokka there, he didn’t need everyone else teasing him about it.

 

Still, he wasn’t quite ready to give up on his hissy-fit just yet, stomping about while they unload huts, hooks, and rods, along with some frankly disturbing bait, from the trailer behind their van. He maintains his pout while Sokka runs the auger, drilling holes into the ice with abundant flourish which, if Zuko were being honest, he would have to admit was kind of cool, though he wasn’t about to tell Sokka that. Setting up the huts proved to be quite a task, since no one could quite remember how exactly that was supposed to be done, despite doing it every year.

 

They finally manage it, and Zuko notices that each hut looks to be designed with only two people in mind, suddenly hoping he hasn’t managed to annoy Sokka into bunking with someone else simply out of spite. But just as soon as that worry manifests itself, Sokka grabs his arm, hauling him off towards the furthest hut.

 

“Come on grumpy.” He clambers inside, plopping himself down on an overturned bucket, pulling Zuko in after him.

 

“Hey! I’m not grumpy! Not really, anyways.” Alone with Sokka now, who’s all smiles and warm eyes and who just wants to share this and be with him, Zuko’s a little embarrassed at his behavior.

 

“I know. I can tell your fake pout from your real one by now.” Sokka teases, grabbing Zuko’s chin and waggling it from side to side.

 

“Hey!” Zuko pulls back, a scowl painting his face and crossing his arms. Sokka raises his hands defensively.

 

“Ah. See? Real pout.” Zuko snorts at that, cracking a smile, rolling his eyes and giving Sokka a playful shove.

 

“Would you be quiet and just show me how to do this?” He nods his head towards the gear that sits expectantly between Sokka’s makeshift chair and Zuko’s rickety old metal one.

 

“Alright, alright.” Dropping to his knees, Sokka uses a slotted spoon to scoop snow and ice chips from the water. Gripping his mittens between his teeth he pulls them off, baiting two hooks with careful precision before dropping them into the water and handing Zuko a rod. The setup is primitive, little more than a hook and some line on the end of a stick, but it’s effective.

 

Inside the hut is dark, save for the low light emanating from the ice, and strangely warm, at least compared to the bitter cold of the winter wind outside, which howls lonesome and whips against the walls, shaking them slightly. Apart from that the world is silent, comfortable and content. Zuko tries to focus on what he’s doing, but before long finds himself glancing beside him at Sokka’s hands, his gaze drawn as he catches their movement out of the corner of his eye, and he can’t help but stare.

 

Sokka looks happy, and completely at ease. Leaning slightly forward, relaxed with arms resting on his knees, a flick of the wrist jigs his hooks slightly every so often. Head cocked to the side, he wears a small, contented smile, and he is bathed in the soft blueish glow of the ice, eyes shining and crinkled gladly at the corners. His face is framed by a halo of white fur, his cheeks slightly flushed by the cool air and his warm breath, which forms small icy clouds around his face.

 

He looks over at Zuko briefly, then doubt-takes when he notices him staring, wide-eyed, head resting in his hand, fishing completely forgotten. His grin widens, and he simply raises an eyebrow in question.

 

“You look beautiful.” Zuko huffs with frosty breath.

 

Sokka melts. A wide smile splits his face, and he laughs warm and sweet. He shakes his head, wrapping both arms around Zuko’s and burying his face against his shoulder to hide the embarrassed blush that’s blooming there.

 

“Zuko!” He whines.

 

“What? I’m not sorry. You do,” Zuko states matter-of-factly. He feels a smile tug at his lips as Sokka meets his gaze, his pupils blown wide in the low light, and eyes sparkling like the clearest night sky pricked with stars. Sokka simply stares for a long moment, his lower lip caught between his teeth, before leaning into Zuko.

 

Close enough now to feel Sokka’s hot breath on his lips, Zuko tilts his head slightly. He’s in no rush, and he takes his time as he begins to close the distance between them when –

 

“Hey I’ve got one!” Zuko had almost forgotten he still held the fishing rod in his hand, but a strong tug on the line draws his attention.

 

“Wh – Oh! Well quick pull it up!” Sokka exclaims, scrambling off his bucket towards the hole in the ice.

 

Zuko pulls up the line with haste, and soon a fat fish striped greenish-gold flops clumsily onto the ice. Sokka swiftly removes the hook from its mouth with practiced easy. The fish, perch according to Sokka, is measured and deemed a keeper.

 

“Wanna hold him?” Sokka holds the still squirming fish out to Zuko, who shudders at the mere thought. Still, he’s come this far, and Zuko never did know quite when to quit.

 

“Uh… sure.” He reaches his hands out to Sokka, who unloads the fish onto him without a second thought. As soon as Zuko feels the cold, slimy scales of the fish against his skin however, he recoils, dropping the fish with a loud plop onto the hard Ice. The perch, reasonably annoyed and slippery in more ways than one, slides quickly back into the water without even a splash and disappears.

 

For a moment, all the two boys can do is stare at each other, mouths agape and eyes wide in their best imitation of their escaped dinner. Then at once they break into peals of riotous laughter that continues until they’re both gasping for breath and fighting back tears.

 

The rest of the day is filled with smiles and light-hearted banter, and everyone catches more than enough fish, which Sokka attributes to not letting Zuko anywhere near them. Almost too soon, it’s time to step into the blinding light of day to begin preparing for the long journey home. Everything that was unloaded not too long ago is reloaded, in addition to several large coolers full of fish, and in no time the only evidence of their excursion is about a half-dozen holes in the ice.

 

Everyone gathers around the van to partake in the traditional hot chocolate and wafer cookies, as well as tea in giant thermoses courtesy of uncle Iroh. Zuko stands to the side with Sokka, watching the others make snow angels and chase each other around, burning off their excess energy before being squeezed back into Hakoda’s van. He feels warmth spread from his insides all the way to the tips of his fingers, though he’s not entirely sure if it’s from the hot drink, Sokka’s hand in his, or something else entirely.

 

“Hey. If I told you I had a good time today, would you say I told you so?” Zuko isn’t thrilled at the prospect of being teased, but if it means telling Sokka how much this means to him, if it means making him happy, then it’s more than worth it.

 

“Hmm… I don’t know.” Sokka, narrows his eyes and gazes into the distance, brow knit, apparently deep in thought, but the cheeky smile he wears gives him away.

 

“Well it doesn’t matter anyways. Thank you Sokka, I had a wonderful time today, I really did.” Zuko’s voice is deep and earnest. While he sometimes finds being so open with people a challenge, Sokka makes it easy.

 

“I’m glad.” Sokka turns to face him fully, wrapping one arm around Zuko’s back, his other reaching up to tug his scarf off his face, replacing it with the soft caress of his hand, running his thumb slowly along Zuko’s lower lip, their eyes flutter shut as he guides him forward into a kiss, warm and welcome.

 

Slowly, the two pull apart, but don’t go far. Their foreheads rest together, noses brushing, and Zuko keeps his eyes firmly shut, basking in the moment and Sokka’s attention. Though he can’t see it, he can almost feel the smile on Sokka’s face, much like his own.

 

Being told its time to leave elicits a soft and slightly disappointed sigh from Zuko, but his displeasure is eased slightly as they clamber into the back seat of the van, Sokka pulling Zuko practically into his lap and clinging to his arm as if his life depends on it. Somehow, the cramped space doesn’t feel nearly so unbearable this time, and the warmth and gentle rocking of the van as it travels across the lake soon puts Sokka to sleep, head nestled against Zuko’s chest and mouth agape, snoring softly. Zuko chuckles and places a gentle kiss on Sokka’s forehead.

 

The day is growing late, the sun low and shadows long, and it isn’t long before Zuko feels his own eyelids begin to droop. He drifts off slowly, chin nodding against Sokka’s forehead, welcoming the blissful relief of sleep, completely content.

**Author's Note:**

> So it's been years since I've been ice fishing, and this is mostly based on my memories and my own family traditions, but it was so cold when I was writing this and it's the middle of winter so why not?
> 
> I know I'm a touch late, but I've been away this weekend and didn't have my computer, so here we are now!
> 
> Hope you enjoyed, thanks for reading!


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